


Spot of Mummery: Intermissions

by Spot of Mummery (Aywren)



Series: Spot of Mummery [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Allag, Allagan, Crystal Tower, Gen, Syrcus Tower
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-15
Updated: 2018-11-21
Packaged: 2019-08-24 02:02:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16630748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aywren/pseuds/Spot%20of%20Mummery
Summary: This is a series of follow-ups to the happenings of “Coming Together" for each character. There's a bit of a time jump here, and this just fills in the blanks between the previous story arc and the next.





	1. Intermission: Amon

**Amon**  chose to remain with the rag-tag group he’d discovered during his return to the living world. Due to  **Zuri’s** encouragement, they  **created a Free Company** , which is based out of  **Gridania**. He appears to be genuinely fond of his FC mates and continues to make emotional connections with them. 

 **Aside from Koh/Noah and Ajir, he has not shared his identity with anyone else.** He relies on the hope that the name “Amon” by itself won’t have much meaning to people who have mostly forgotten Allagan history. 

 **Amon tends to feel a sense of peace in Gridania**. Perhaps it’s a place that echoes his very early years, before he came to Syrcus Tower. It could even be that  _the area that is now the Shroud was his birthplace_ , but time and ever-changing world events makes it hard to determine. He spends much time there. 

With the addition of Koh as a healer, their Free Company has been successful in obtaining many more local jobs and bringing in a surplus of Gil.  **Amon has invested in a set of Replica Allagan Gear for Archers/Bards, and chooses to wear it to blend in.**  He does have a bardic tunic and separate outfit he uses for performances, though he hasn’t needed to fall back on performing for Gil for a while.  

 **Amon tends to wander the cities and observe quietly.**  Though he’s friendly when approached, he’s in a mostly hands-off observation mode. He’s recently gotten passage to **Ishgard**  and is absorbing the strange new culture he finds there. 

 **Curiosity about what passes as modern science has prodded Amon to join the Alchemy Guild.** He humors Guildmaster Severian, and laments to see the massive loss of knowledge through the ages. It’s not unusual for him to secretly “improve upon” equations left written on the guild drawing boards. 

 **Koh is trying to glean as much Allagan knowledge from Amon as she’s able.** He works with her… up to a point. Then it becomes a joke to him and a frustration to her. Simple, harmless knowledge, Amon is pretty open to sharing, but anything beyond that, he refuses to release. He’s seen what happens when people walk those paths already. 

 


	2. Intermission: Zuri

After begging her friends to make a new  **Free Company** , she happily arranges for the official formation in  **Gridania**. However, she allows **Ajir**  and  **Amon**  to argue over who actually leads it. 

With a healer on board, the group is able to find better local jobs, and actually earns a fairly good surplus of Gil. Due to that, Amon advised her on finding better bardic wear, and helped her pick out  **a new performing tunic**. Mistake on Amon’s part – now Zuri adores him all the more for taking her shopping. 

 **Amon often spends his downtime tutoring Zuri.** When the group is not on the clock, he provides voice lessons and helps her improve her finger work on the harp. As soon as the Gil is available, he also has promised to help her pick out a new instrument. 

 **In turn, they have exchanged songs and stories across both of their cultures.** Amon seems equally as fascinated by her upbringing in Yanxia as she is in trying to prod him for information about himself. Zuri still can’t quite place where Amon is from, and it puzzles her to no end. 

 **Zuri also has made fast friends with Koh.**  Having another girl on the team is  _so much fun_ , and she helps the much more timid Scholar find some confidence in her healing abilities.  **Zuri is not yet aware of Noah’s presence,**  and Noah doesn’t interfere with Koh’s new, growing friendship.  


	3. Intermission: Koh

**Koh** didn’t expect things to lead where they did. Certainly not to be recruited as a healer and to  **join a Free Company**  of strangers, including  **Amon of Allag**. But how could she say no to such an opportunity? It hardly seemed real! 

Thankfully, most of the people in the FC are very friendly and patient with her. They also seem to be grateful to have a healer, no matter how rusty she actually is! Though the team has offered to improve her wardrobe (as everyone seems to be doing), she’s denied their generosity until she feels more connected with the group. 

**Zuri has shown Koh so much kindness, and they’ve started to become close friends.**  Still not close enough for Koh to talk about her situation, but enough for her to feel comfortable with the Au Ra for just… normal things. She also doesn’t want to talk about anything that might expose Amon for who he is. She senses Amon desires privacy, and respects that. 

**Every chance Koh gets, she pulls Amon aside for research sessions.** Sometimes, she gets good information from him, but most of the time, he turns it into a joke, or refuses to share what he knows. This is frustrating considering Koh is very aware of the kind of knowledge he has… and sees that he’s purposely covering it up with a devil-may-care act with everyone. Including her. 

**Noah also spends time talking with Amon alone…** However, she doesn’t usually open up those thoughts and conversations to Koh. Though she was suspicious of Amon at first, the more she talks with him, the more she’s convinced that he really has been stripped of his power and that he doesn’t seem to have any desire to relive the darkness of his past life. 

**Noah still… secretly… maybe… kinda… hopes that there might be something Amon can do to help her and Koh in their situation.**  She never directly brings this up as she knows very well what asking for his help has led to for others. Noah trusts Amon only enough to believe that he’s not there to set the world on fire… but that doesn’t mean she’s ready to put what little is left of her existence in his hands just yet. 


	4. Intermission: Mocho

Mocho was the first to agree to  **join the Free Company that Zuri proposed**. There was a part of him that was just happy the kids still wanted him around, despite his mistakes and him being slow to the draw. 

It’s a huge relief to have  **Koh** on board as a healer. Neither of them are too sure of their roles, so they help each other out and learn the tank-healer synergy. It’s been a valuable experience for him. 

**Mocho has spent much time at the Gladiator’s Guild training and practicing.**  He’s begun to progress, and has even earned himself a new sword and set of gear. While he’s not fully confident in his ability just yet, he’s getting better. Most of their jobs have been successful, so things are improving. 

He continues to keep a fatherly eye on the rest of the crew, and stands as the voice of reason in times of confusion. Though he and  **Amon**  get along, Mocho seems to keep his distance, as if he knows something more about the situation than he lets on. 


	5. Intermission: Ajir

I left Ajir for last because this is a difficult thing to write. I thought about this long and hard, and  **I’ve decided to have Ajir part ways with the rest of the characters**. Just like in RPGs and real life, folks come and go as they are called. I have several reasons for this from a writer’s POV, however.

When I sat down to think about these Intermission pieces, Ajir was the only one that I really didn’t have anything to write about. He’s a fairly well-formed character, and already quite skillful. While I guess I could drum up some form of development for him, I really feel like I’d rather focus on the characters who naturally need time for development… which is… everyone else. 

While he’s fun to write, and he plays a good foil to Amon, he’s fairly flat. I don’t ever see myself able to properly RP his personality type. I also don’t see myself ever progressing him in game. So all he’d be regulated to is a character slot that I’d pull out to take screenshots from time to time. 

I’m already pushing the limits of my characters slots on this server as it is, so I’d be much better off re-purposing his for another character that I actually  _would_  play (plus he’s already finished the 2.0 MSQ..!). On top of that, I  _do_ plan on adding at least one more character to the roster… That’s getting to be more than a handful to keep up with in the story! 

When I started planning and writing this fiction, Ajir made sense. I wanted to explore the Xaela Au Ra of the Steppes (Zuri’s from Yanxia), and the party needed a protector. Now, I feel like with the addition of Amon and Koh/Noah to the group, I almost have  _too many_ personalities demanding attention. I also feel like I’m fine just exploring the Raen side of culture when that time comes. 

The opportunity to meet back up with Ajir sometime in the future is always a possibility! For right now, my writer-senses are telling me this is the right move to make for party composition… even if it’s not an easy choice! So please don’t be upset if you enjoyed having Ajir in the story! Thanks for understanding!  ♥


	6. Follow Up: Parting Ways

It felt like so little time passed between the founding of The-Free-Company-With-The-Ridiculous-Name and the day the message from the Steppes arrived for Ajir. Things were just getting organized. They were settling in as a team and learning to work together. They actually had enough Gil to live comfortably for a change.

But when your tribe calls – flesh and blood family – one can’t turn a blind eye to the need for help. As dedicated as Ajir was to ensuring Zuri, Mocho – and now Koh – were protected, he knew he was faced with a choice. A hard one… but the outcome was obvious from the moment the message came. 

What worried the Samurai the most was leaving these innocents in the hands of Amon. Though Zuri was oblivious and impossibly attached to him, and Koh spent time  ~~interrogating~~  …ahem… researching his character… Ajir still had no sense of certainty as to what the Elezen’s motivations were. If something were to happen to the others because he wasn’t there… 

All these things rolled through Ajir’s mind as he waited at the Limsa docks to board the waiting ship back to Kugane. Maybe that’s why he was grateful to see Koh come to see him off. 

“You didn’t invite the others?” she asked, looking around in surprise. 

“I already said my good-byes to Zuri and Mocho,” Ajir told her. 

Koh gave him a knowing smile. “You just didn’t want to see Zuri cry. Admit it.” 

“This is hard enough.” Ajir grunted. Then he added what was really on his mind. “I’m leaving the lambs with the lion.” 

She took a moment before she responded. “You’re really worried about Amon.” 

“I am,” the dark Au Ra leaned back on his heel. “He may not be a threat now, but he has the potential to become one. And not just to us.” 

Koh peered out at the lapping waves. Working up the courage to speak her thoughts, she picked her words quietly. 

“A lot of people have the potential to do terrible things. But on the other hand, that can also become a vast potential to do good.” She spread her hands, looking up at the Samurai. “I’m no Warrior of Light… that’s for sure! And there’s a lot of powers at work in this world – most we can’t begin to understand. That’s why we have to do what we can with what we’ve been given.” 

“Which is?” 

She folded her hands with a thoughtful look. “I know you don’t see the value of my research… but I don’t ask Amon questions only to gather knowledge. I’m trying to get him to talk about things. Keeping it all to himself the way he does is bad for anyone. Especially someone who has seen the things he has.” 

“Amon therapy,” Ajir laughed a little at this. “Does it work?” 

“Not always,” Koh sighed. “But, I think he’s coming around. He made me buy him supper last night.” 

“Oh, how gentlemanly of him.” 

She laughed, rocking back on her heels. “Hey… progress is progress.” 

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of the bells on the ship dock. Ajir looked up, knowing it meant his time there was coming to a close. 

 

He frowned gently at Koh. “Please watch over Zuri and Mocho.” 

“I’ll do my best,” Koh nodded, trying to look confident about it. 

“I know you will,” he gave a brief smile, hoisting his pack over one shoulder. “Look me up if you’re ever in the Steppes.” 

“Farewell, Ajir.” She gave him a little wave as he strode away. “May you ever walk in the light of the crystal.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Amon D'Syrcus and friends are my in-game characters can be found on the Mateus RP server in FFXIV. You can also check out https://spotofmummery.tumblr.com to see more Allagan Nonsense, character memes, or interact with Amon if that pleases you!


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